In July 2024, the State of Maine Working Waterfront Resilience Grant Program awarded over twenty-one million dollars in grants to 68 businesses along the storm-battered shoreland on the coast of Maine to rebuild wharves and piers of importance to Maine’s commercial fishing industries. Last winter, two storms hit with ferocity all along the shore from Kittery to Lubec, destroying boathouses, wharves, fishing boats, fishing equipment, and lobster businesses, smashing them into matchsticks, swallowing lobster traps.
The Schoodic Peninsula had one of the hardest-hit shorelines in the state, with many businesses facing horrific damages to their buildings, vessels, and infrastructure. One of those State of Maine grants was awarded to The Bottom Line Fisheries, located in Corea and owned and operated by Melissa and Dan Rodgers, longtime peninsula residents and lobsterfishers. They received $25,000.00 to help rebuild their lobster and tour business, which was severely impacted by both storms.
Melissa and Dan rise at 2:30 AM, don their gear, and chug out of the harbor in the near dark to tend their 400 traps, which involves checking for lobsters, measuring and banding them, replenishing bait, and resetting the traps. Most people might be exhausted at the end of that hard work, but Melissa and Dan go back to the harbor and meet the many excited tour boat enthusiasts waiting to learn about the life cycle of lobsters, how to haul traps, and the ins and outs of Federal regulations. They usually operate two “Catch Your Dinner” tours before they can finally take some time to reply to messages, answer emails, grab some dinner, and fall into bed at the end of a very long day.
In the first winter storm, a nearby wharf slid off its pilings and slammed into the Rogers’ wharf. Their parking lot was completely destroyed, rebuilt, and destroyed again in the next storm. Their freezer was smashed, causing them to lose all their bait. Much of the damage was caused by storm surge, and although the business was “fully covered” by insurance, they learned that damage done by storm surge wasn’t covered. Melissa and Dan have to be two of the most resilient people on the peninsula. They matched the $25,000.00 government grant, lobbed together two smaller grants, one from the Island Institute, and they are back in business.
One last plea from Dan to the town of Gouldsboro. Please repair the foot deep pothole on the town road that he has to drive over to operate his pelagic businesses.
The Rodgers are community people, like most folks on the Schoodic Peninsula. Because their wharf is one of only three wharves useable at low tide, they let other fisherfolks use it. Their ramp is open to all who need access to the water. They help each other, these intrepid workers at the edge of the sea. They share equipment, help each other in bad times, all for the love of making a living where they can determine their own hours and be in charge of their lives. But when catastrophe strikes, they hope there will be some funds available to help put everything back together so they can go out again on the sea.
